$18.00

Humanity is reaching a point in which it’s becoming increasingly fused with technology. The phones we keep in our pockets could very well end up being incorporated into our brains. Our lives are already getting more and more digital, but what happens when augmented reality and the virtual world become a part of our consciousness? Or has it always been that way and we’re only now becoming aware of the small hints of our place in existence?

On Electronic Dreams for a Holographic Existence — synth composer Steve Greene crafts a Carpenteresque, Vangelis-minded body of work that explores these concepts of humanity’s relationship with technology and the definition of existence.

In many ways, the LP could serve as the soundtrack to a lost Philip K. Dick story or even an episode of Black Mirror. Greene brings the sensibilities of his popular synth-driven rock band Voyag3r and his work scoring films to his debut solo album, while introducing a visceral, analogue quality that sets it apart from anything out there today.

Conjured up over a four-month recording and mixing session in the Battle Chamber, his metro Detroit-area studio and wrote the album’s eight songs over a wide range of time. Some of the tracks go back as far back as 2014 and others just earlier in 2017.To fully execute his vision, Greene has created a rich tapestry of minimalist, nuanced instrumental tracks using a variety of hardware tools: a Sequential Circuits Pro-One and SixTrak, a Moog MiniTaur and Micro Moog, Alesis Ion, MultiVox MX-202 and Roland Alpha Juno 2. He even used a Rhodes Mark V electric piano on some songs. There’s also some saxophone.

Distilling a sum of a life of diverse musical influences and experiences into a compelling and powerful eight-song album that could very well touch on the augmented reality and technologization of humanity that increasingly defines our times. Or, perhaps, the listener might have a different story to tell.

Electronic Dreams for a Holographic Existence was released on Jan. 26 via Bellyache Records on vinyl and Battle Chamber Music on CD, Cassette and digital at stevegreene.bandcamp.com and on other digital platforms. For more information, contact battlechambermusic@gmail.com.